IRON Haute Route 2013 - Off to the Pyrenees!

I love taking on the challenge of IRON events. 35 riders are registered that have completed the Haute Route Alps 2013 a week ago.

Mug shot again

Three of us are IRON women racers: me, Pascale Legrand a road racer from Quebec, and Stacie Hall from Australia.

Excitement with the French ski mountaineer world champion Laetitia Roux entered in the Pyrenees event. She uses riding as cross-training and rode the Trial Pyrenees event last year. She will be racing with a women's team of ski mountaineer racers.

The Tour-Transalp woman winner Marina Ilmer from Italy will be racing. 33 women entered in the Pyrenees event while only 17 were entered in the Alps event... maybe the intrigue was with the Pyrenees.

It was great to get to chat with women racing in the recent Haute Route Alps. Interesting to get feedback that they would either definitely do the race again as the experience was great... or not ever again as the preference was to ride, stop, eat, take photos and enjoy! Understandable, either way.

Awesome, Greg Lemond just showed up to the pre-race briefing! I was a fan back in the day of no helmets. Greg will ride at a chill pace with us tomorrow, and will cheer us on for the Time Trial.

Race briefing each night

Met up with the Brits-living-in-Geneva crowd from 2011
Jan, Rafael, Pete,..., Ian somewhere out there
Bikes loaded in trucks to be transported to Solsona

Surprise! - Awesome Paella dinner compliments of the Race.
Three guitarists serenaded us all day at the race registration

Rode my bike around town and to Boqueria Market
Received interesting comments from a few cyclist types

Wide-eyed at the fruit choice at the Boqueria Market

At the market, this man admired my bike
He is Horst Stuewe from Canada
1969 Canadian Cycling Champion!

Horst proudly showed me this folded paper he had in his wallet - pretty cool!

Major Barcelona beach action!